Of all the plug-in manufacturers on the audio market today, Waves Audio is undoubtedly one of the most popular. But among this plethora of plugins available for purchase, which are actually the best for vocals? Compressors, EQs, tuning tools or even vocal synths, let me introduce you to the 10 best Waves plugins for vocals.
1. Waves Tune Real-Time
If you’re currently looking for a good autotune plugin to mix your vocals, look no further: Waves Tune Real-Time is the plugin you need. For vocal mixing, it’s the autotune plugin I use the most.
The plugin is intuitive, easy to handle and impressively versatile. The plugin is capable of natural tuning as well as the more robotic tuning often appreciated in hip-hop vocal production.
Waves Tune Real Time offers a number of advantages over its competitors:
- Pitch correction creates no artifacts, even at the most extreme values. If you choose the right values, glitches are very rare and the high end of the spectrum is not damaged.
- This autotune plugin offers unbeatable value for money compared with the competition.
- It consumes very little CPU, so you can use several instances of Waves Tune without overloading your mix or production sessions.
2. RCompressor
RCompressor is probably not the most unique plugin on this list. It’s a very simplistic compression plugin that allows the user to choose between several compression modes.
It has all the classic compressor parameters and is therefore super-easy to learn, even for beginners. This makes it a very popular tool for vocal mixing.
The strength of this plugin, despite its extreme simplicity, lies first and foremost in its interface. Visually, the plugin is very pleasant to use, and the gain reduction meter provides guidance as to the compression applied to vocals.
Its presets are also one of its strengths. In fact, numerous presets from legendary sound engineers and producers are available to the user, so you can start from a solid base every time you use it.
In terms of compression, this is almost always the plugin I use at the beginning of my chain, simply to control the dynamics of vocals.
3. H-Reverb
Knowing the number of quality reverb plugins on the market today, it’s becoming increasingly complicated to choose the right reverb for vocals. But if you’re looking for a versatile all-rounder, Waves H-Reverb could be a great option.
Through its super-complete interface, you can twist your reverb any which way you want to get exactly the sound you’re looking for, without even leaving the plugin.
And if you don’t have the desire and/or the skills to go further in processing your reverb, no problem: Waves lets you choose between “expert” and “basic” mode, which opens the door to more or less complex parameters.
In vocal mixing, I generally use H-Reverb when I need a big, warm reverb around my vocals. But… to each his own! I’ll leave you to explore the plugin for yourself!
4. Vocal Rider
One of the parameters that differentiates a pro mix from an amateur mix is the gain tracking of each source in a track, in other words, optimal use of automation. But what if a plugin did this job for you with all your vocals?
That’s the purpose of the Vocal Rider plugin, which lets you even out the gain of your vocals so you can attack the rest of your vocal chain with a more unified gain. And get more professional results in just a few clicks.
I personally don’t use this plugin for vocal mixing, as I prefer to take a little more time for gain staging and have total control over my vocals. But it’s clear that Waves Vocal Rider is a classic in the world of vocal mixing.
Many pro engineers use this plugin, as well as amateurs. Either way, this unique plugin is clearly a must-have for vocal mixing!
5. CLA-76
The Waves CLA-76 compressor is an emulation of the legendary Universal Audio 1176 FET compressor. The FET compressor is a popular type of compressor known for its extremely fast attack (in the micro-second range) and the unique character it adds to the processed source.
And of all the emulations of the 1176 that exist today (and God knows there are many), the CLA-76 is the one that, in my opinion, most brings out these two main aspects of the FET compressor.
Looking for a professional sound engineer specializing in pop and hip-hop music ? You’re in the right place! Mixing, mastering, production, editing,… we’ve got it all covered!
Let’s start now!
The CLA-76 is an incredible tool for adding punch to your vocals, but also a touch of aggressiveness and tone that will automatically make your vocals cut though your mix.
This compression plugin is known for being a compressor that “colors” the source and can alter its frequency spectrum quite drastically. Making it warmer and brighter at the same time.
The CLA-76 is particularly efficient on rap vocals, which are faster and punchier than sung vocals. And therefore more suited to this type of processing.
6. Vitamin
Waves announces Vitamin as a “sonic enhancer” designed for use on mixbusses, drums and… vocals! This unique and powerful tool acts as an EQ, soft saturator and compressor in one.
How does it work? By means of a series of sliders, each assigned to a frequency band, which can be boosted to a greater or lesser extent according to need. And frankly, I’m still amazed that this plugin is so rarely found on YouTube channels and blogs dedicated to music production. Because its effect on vocals is… mind-blowing. Literally.
To this day, I still haven’t found a plugin that gives me the power, character and versatility of Vitamin. That’s why it’s a plugin I use very often in vocal mixing.
Vitamin is particularly efficient for boosting brightness. Because it also adds harmonics that make the top end of the spectrum very rich and crisp.
7. Ovox
After all these plug-ins focusing on the technical side of vocal mixing, here’s a more creative, extremely powerful tool for vocal production: Ovox. This multi-purpose plugin is both a vocoder and a vocal synth, and can be used creatively as an autotune.
With this plugin in your hands, you can go… in any direction! Thanks to the many presets offered by Waves, you can draw inspiration from it to enhance your productions with out-of-the-ordinary effects. And with Ovox, you can sometimes be in for a surprise. And that’s what makes this plugin an incredible toy for all music producers and sound engineers.
Whether you want to add a layer of harmonization around a lead vocal or make it robotic and glitchy to the extreme, Ovox clearly has what it takes to send your vocals into another dimension.
Like the H-Reverb, you can either use the interface in “expert” mode to delve into Ovox’s many parameters, or stay in “basic” mode for more simplistic processing. Whichever mode you choose, Ovox has what it takes to completely transform your vocal productions.
8. Vocal Bender
And here’s another creative tool to enhance your vocals: Vocal Bender! Although it can be used more technically in certain situations, the pitch and formant shifting plugin proves particularly effective when it comes to playing creatively with vocals.
Whether you’re harmonizing a lead vocal or shifting its formant an octave lower to transform it into a “demon” voice, Vocal Bender has something to surprise you!
Looking for a professional sound engineer specializing in pop and hip-hop music ? You’re in the right place! Mixing, mastering, production, editing,… we’ve got it all covered!
Let’s start now!
As well as great presets (like many Waves plugins, in fact), Vocal Bender also has an LFO and sequencer to open up even more creative doors and turn your vocal into a real instrument.
The big advantage of Vocal Bender is that it generates few artifacts and doesn’t damage the frequency spectrum of processed vocals. A tool to explore if you want to enhance the creative aspect of your vocal productions.
9. SSL EQ
Instead of this plugin, I could also have chosen SSL EV2, which emulates a channel strip from the legendary SSL 4000 console. But for vocal mixing, I strongly believe that only the EQ is this plugin’s trump card. That’s why I chose this Waves SSL EQ instead.
The SSL EQ will give your vocals all the best that SSL gear has to offer: warmth, brightness and a unique tone. I personally use it a lot to boost the air zone (above 12kHz) and the high-mid range (between 3kHz and 5kHz).
This kind of setting automatically puts the voice in the foreground and gives it incomparable power.
You can also use the (hundreds of) presets (yes, presets again!) provided by Waves to start from a good base and/or draw inspiration from them for your vocal mixes.
However you use it, don’t be too shy with this EQ. It’s meant to be pushed to high values to bring out its magic on vocals!
10. J37
The slight distortion brought out by a tape is still much sought-after in modern music production. It brings out a more organic feel to the track being processed. And this kind of distortion works particularly well with vocals.
That’s why I thought it was important to include this J37, one of the best tape emulations in my opinion. The plugin won’t drastically alter the tone of your vocals, but it will add a final touch at the end of your vocal chain that could completely change the feelings your mix brings out.
By using J37 on your vocals, it’s especially in the presence area (around 2-3kHz) that the difference will be felt. This will allow the voice to be pushed slightly into the foreground.
In this plugin, for vocal mixing, I’m a particular fan of the Male Vocal Warmth preset (for male vocals, of course). This preset has all the advantages I mentioned above, while remaining subtle.
You can actually use J37 on all types of vocals, but has a more effective effect on any project with a vintage feel.
Final Thoughts
The cool thing about these 10 Waves plugins is that they could be more than enough for any project, whatever the vocals. A touch of Waves Tune to start, followed by RComp, SSL EQ to boost brightness and get rid of vocal boominess, CLA-76 to bring out vocal punch, finishing with J37 for the finishing touch. And why not add a layer of robotic harmonies with Ovox! You can then add a touch of H-Reverb, and your vocals will be ready!
Anyway, have fun with these plugins! Explore the parameters, try out new things… that’s how you’ll get professional results!
All the info on these plugins is available on the Waves Audio website. But if you have any questions about these plugins, please contact me, I’ll be happy to help!
Related Articles:
My favorite tools for mixing pop and hip-hop music:
Plugins
In the field of auto-tune, I’m convinced that nothing’s better and more efficient than Antares Auto-Tune Pro. As for the EQ’s, FabFilter Pro-Q3 and Slate Digital Infinity EQ are, in my opinion, the best tools. For compression, I have 2 favorites plugins: Waves RComp and UAD EL8 Distressor.
As for reverb, I’m a big fan of the Soundtoys Little Plate, but generally, I go for the Valhalla VintageVerb for its versatility. I also love the Arturia Rev PLATE-140 and the UAD Pure Plate for its organic side.
Headphones
The closed headphones I love and will always love using for mixing pop and hip-hop music are the Beyerdynamic DT-770. As for the best open-back headphones, I use the Sennheiser HD600 headphones, and I’m really happy of them!
Monitors
Having a pair of Yamaha HS7 in its studio or home studio is always cool for more excitement while listening to your mixes. The Adam Audio T7V monitors are also super accurate. In my studio, I also have a pair of Genelec 8030 for their reliability.
Hardware gear
For anyone who wants to start using hardware in their mixes, I always recommend these 2 units from Klark Teknik: the EQP-KT and the 76-KT. Don’t forget to use good converters, such as the Apollo interfaces. This is essential for a good rendering.
